P&G bets on Indian talent to drive its global tech operations

technology operations, the world’s biggest consumer-goods firm’s global chief information officer Seth Cohen told ET in an exclusive interaction.

“I’ve always been impressed with the incredible talent that’s coming out of these amazing universities that are here. That continues,” Cohen said. “I’ve noticed that the universities have very quickly pivoted to these newer ways of working and these newer technologies.”

“We had some time yesterday (Wednesday) with some students, and it was amazing to hear the questions that they’re asking,” he said. “They clearly understand where these capabilities can be brought to life.”

Cohen, who has been visiting India for about 25 years, said the rapid adaptation of universities to new technologies was among the biggest changes he has observed. He said the shift was helping connect education more closely with the needs of businesses.

“I think that’s incredibly helpful and it’s incredibly exciting,” Cohen said. “It’s just so fun to see just such a progressive approach for how the education system is feeding the business and then from a business lens how we’re meeting that consumer need each and every time.”

P&G has been expanding its technology work in India, which the maker of Tide and Pantene described as both a major talent pool and a market that offers lessons for the company’s operations globally.

“There’s probably no better place for recruiting the best engineering talents,” he said.

India’s mix of quick commerce, digital commerce and high-frequency stores makes it a “melting pot” of consumer and retail behaviour, Cohen said. P&G is using those experiences to develop technology capabilities that can be deployed in other markets.

India’s quick-commerce market is forcing P&G to make more granular decisions about inventory because consumers increasingly expect products to reach them in as little as 10 minutes.

The company is using algorithms to optimise finished-goods flows and predict where products need to be positioned.

Each dark store can require a different product assortment based on neighbourhood-level analytics, Cohen said. “That’s the ultimate goal” of working with retailers-predicting what consumers will want and ensuring it is available when they order.

The company is also studying the broader path consumers take from social media to digital commerce. Consumers may start their journey on Instagram through searches or scrolling, before moving to a commerce platform.

P&G is looking to use search and location capabilities to provide relevant information and make it easier for consumers to convert that interest into a purchase.

Cohen said India can also provide technology learnings for markets with different social-media platforms. India does not use TikTok, but capabilities P&G develops for other platforms can potentially be used in countries where TikTok is popular.